Chapter 135: Perfect Deduction!

The three of them—Minato Namikaze, Kakashi Hatake, and Jiraiya—fell silent; though they said nothing, they had already accepted Fujinaka Genma’s deduction in their hearts.

This theory made perfect sense.

Fujinaka Genma glanced at the three and continued his “imaginative reasoning”: “The evolution of the Mangekyo Sharingan into the Rinnegan cannot be a simple matter.”

“When Madara Uchiha obtained the First Hokage’s power, cultivated the Senju’s strength, and then absorbed it—that process must have taken time, and likely a long time.”

“Based on Nagato’s age, he was probably born around Konoha 30?”

Nagato was only one or two years older than him.

“About right—he was born during wartime.”

Jiraiya nodded.

At that time, tensions among the hidden villages had escalated, and the shadow of war loomed over the ninja world.

“If we calculate from Konoha 30, Madara Uchiha would have been at least sixty or seventy years old?”

“At that age, if he only then awakened the Rinnegan, he would no longer be in his prime.”

Fujinaka Genma countered: “Given that scenario, would he accept it?”

“Madara Uchiha was proud and arrogant—he left Konoha precisely to realize his ideals in another way.”

“The Rinnegan holds the power to reverse life and death, but it must have limits—he could not restore himself to youth.”

“But what if someone could use the Rinnegan’s power to revive him?”

“Revive him at his absolute peak!”

Jiraiya stared, dumbfounded, sweat breaking out on his back; he swallowed hard and said, “Genma, your deduction…”

“Shut up!”

Tsunade barked, glaring at Jiraiya, then turned to Fujinaka Genma: “Continue!”

Jiraiya looked at Minato Namikaze with a wounded expression; Minato pretended not to notice, his gaze fixed on Fujinaka Genma.

“No one would willingly revive a stranger with no connection to them—how could Madara ensure that someone who acquired his Rinnegan, unaware of his true identity, would revive him after he lost the eye—or even after he died?”

Fujinaka Genma seemed lost in extreme deduction, speaking rapidly: “The strange man I encountered when I rescued Obito Uchiha might be one of his contingency plans.”

“Master Minato, Itachi know my sealing techniques—someone who escaped them so easily isn’t just any ordinary person.”

Minato nodded: “Even I, or Kushina, couldn’t have done it.”

He had tested this himself.

“That’s one point—Madara must have needed someone to act on his behalf.”

“So how did he control Nagato, ensuring he followed his will?”

Fujinaka Genma looked at Jiraiya: “According to your description and Root’s intelligence, the Akatsuki—or rather, Nagato—was kind, yearned for peace, and sought to achieve it through peaceful means.”

“But what if someone destroyed all of that, completely changing his mind?”

The three instantly understood his implication; Jiraiya said: “So Itachi believe the Akatsuki’s disappearance was orchestrated by a hidden hand.”

“According to Root’s intelligence, when they ambushed the Akatsuki, only three were present.”

“Minato, Nagato, and Konan—Minato died on the spot; the other two vanished. But Master Jiraiya, Itachi just reported that all other Akatsuki members have also disappeared.”

“One or two people hiding is easy—but an entire group vanishing without a trace? That’s difficult.”

Fujinaka Genma murmured: “If it were me, I’d seize this chance to eliminate everyone around Nagato who stood in the way—not only would it crush his spirit, but it would make him easier to control.”

“To confirm this, I’ll go to the Hidden Rain Village myself and sniff out whether Hiruzen Sarutobi was involved in killing other Akatsuki members back then.”

“I’ll go!”

Jiraiya immediately said.

Fujinaka Genma shook his head: “Master Jiraiya, let me go—he won’t cooperate willingly.”

Besides, this is Root's mess. Danzo is dead; as his successor, I must clean up his mess.

Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze couldn’t help laughing; Tsunade sniffed: “Little brat, acting so grand.”

Cough!

Fujinaka Genma cleared his throat, then spoke seriously: “From Nagato’s case, it’s clear Obito’s death also has many inconsistencies.”

“Master Minato.”

Fujinaka Genma asked: “If I hadn’t rescued Obito Uchiha, and he’d been saved by Madara Uchiha—or one of his subordinates—”

“And then, by sheer coincidence, witnessed Rin’s death at Kakashi’s hands—what would happen?”

Minato Namikaze frowned: “Obito was a kind child, but emotionally fragile. If that happened, his mind would shatter, and his personality would change drastically.”

Fujinaka Genma nodded: “That’s how Itachi control a person.”

“First, destroy their original beliefs; then implant new ones.”

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Minato Namikaze grew solemn.

After a pause, Minato Namikaze said: “Your insistence on saving Obito disrupted whatever dark plan existed, so they changed tactics and chose someone else.”

“But they still valued his eyes—achieving three tomoe in a single day is extremely rare even among the Uchiha—so the subsequent plan followed naturally.”

“Then, what was the original purpose of controlling Obito?”

As soon as he asked, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Minato Namikaze exchanged glances and spoke in unison: “Backup candidate!”

Silence fell again in the office.

After a moment, Jiraiya said: “If all these deductions are true, this is a serious problem.”

“Master Jiraiya, even if they’re not all true, we now know for certain that we have an enemy wielding the Rinnegan’s power.”

Fujinaka Genma murmured: “Do Itachi think Nagato, given his bond with Minato, won’t seek revenge against us?”

Jiraiya opened his mouth, then fell silent.

Tsunade waved her hand: “Since Itachi’ve made such a logical deduction, mobilize forces to find every hidden rat.”

“Senior Tsunade, that’s too unlikely.”

Minato Namikaze shook his head: “The ninja world is vast, and if they’re hiding deep underground, even deploying the entire Hyuga clan might not find them.”

“Also, about the Rinnegan’s intelligence—”

Minato Namikaze looked at Jiraiya.

In ninja warfare, intelligence matters more than strength.

Jiraiya understood his student’s meaning and shook his head: “I don’t know the Rinnegan’s powers.”

“Back then, Nagato rarely used it, and didn’t understand how to wield its power.”

Here, Jiraiya turned to Fujinaka Genma: "Danzo saw the power of the Rinnegan—he might know something."